A Fresh Start for the New Year

The New Year gives you a chance to start over, but what exactly can you do to take advantage? Here are some tips for making resolutions that keep you moving forward, plus advice for preparing your home to help you lose weight and stay healthy.

Make Your Resolutions

It’s hard to think about the New Year without thinking about New Year’s resolutions. But did you really keep your resolutions in 2014? This year, make resolutions that actually help you hit your goals.

• Make them realistic. “I resolve to run a marathon by the end of the year” is definitely a challenging and motivating goal, but it’s not very realistic if you’re currently walking a few miles a day.
  
  A more realistic resolution is, “I resolve to continue exercising for as long as I currently am and to add some running into my walks.”
  
• Make them specific. “I resolve to eat right this year” sounds great, but what does it really mean? How do you know if you’re “eating right?”
  
  More specific resolutions are, “I resolve to stick to my weight loss surgery diet plan” and “I resolve to eat at least 70 grams of protein and average no more than 1,500 calories a day.”
  
• Make them controllable. “I resolve to lose 100 pounds this year” is specific and realistic, if you still have a lot of weight to lose, but it’s not necessarily under your control. You might do everything right and lose “just” 75 pounds, or you might have trouble with your lap-band and see your weight loss stall.
  
  A more controllable resolution might be, “I resolve to choose protein first at breakfast and lunch, and to measure and log my food.” You can carry out this kind of resolution regardless of circumstances outside of your control.
  

Clear Out Your Kitchen…

After the holidays, your kitchen may have turned into a disaster area. Baked goods and holiday leftovers tend to pile up on the counter, in the fridge, and in the pantry. Some household seem to attract boxes of chocolate and other edible gifts. They need to go – now. If they stick around, they’re inevitably going to find themselves in your stomach (or sleeve, or pouch).

If you have been doing a lot of holiday baking and cooking, take a look at your ingredients. Are they likely to cause trouble? Brownie mixes that you used to make holiday cookies are just a few quick minutes away from being a pan of delicious brownies in a moment of weakness, and the butter you stored to use for baking can easily hop into a pan next time you’re making a batch of eggs. If the ingredients aren’t in the house, they can’t be eaten.

…And Stock It Back Up

If your kitchen is depleted of healthy items, it’s time to stock back up. Your healthy grocery list should be the same as it was just a couple of months ago, before the holiday season struck.

• Lean proteins: chicken and turkey breast, ground turkey, canned tuna
  
• Reduced-fat dairy: non-fat yogurt, and low-fat cheese.
  
• Fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables.
  
• Whole grain pasta, brown rice, oatmeal, and high-fiber bread.
  

Also make sure all of your measuring spoons and cups are accounted for and your kitchen scale is working. If you’re going to eat cleanly, you need to be able to measure all of your food precisely. Do you have enough containers to store food, and some reusable water bottles to carry with you?

Do a Little Troubleshooting

Was there anything that kept you from achieving your goals last year? Maybe you were too busy to plan and cook healthy meals. Or you kept nibbling between meals or while preparing them in the kitchen. Or when you came home late after work, you let down your guard and ate too much.

These little problems can get in the way of your weight loss. Try to identify any patterns that got in your way last year, and figure out what you will do this year to avoid them. For example:

• Suck on a sugar-free breath mint while cooking dinner so you don’t nibble.
  
• Cook bigger batches of healthy food on weekends so you’re not caught without healthy meals during the week.
  
• Plan something fun for the evening, like watching a movie with your spouse, so you don’t turn to food.
  
• Go to bed a little earlier so it’s easier to get up to work out in the morning.
  

You don’t need to overhaul your whole life. A few small changes can be enough to get you on the right track this year. Make the most of your good intentions at the beginning of the New Year, and hit the ground running!